GIANT PANDA IN THAILAND PREGNANT

BANGKOK: A zoo in northern Thailand said on Sunday that it was preparing for the birth of a second giant panda in the New Year, thanks to artificial insemination. Chiang Mai Zoo said 12-year-old Lin Hui, who along with her partner Chuang Chuang is on loan from China, was due to deliver a cub by January. Fewer than 1,600 pandas remain in the wild, mainly in China’s Sichuan province, with a further 300 in captivity around the world.